Monday, January 22, 2007

Sugar High Friday #27

I've gone the white chocolate route - opting for Lindt White Couverture. It's one of the few white chocolates I don't find overbearingly sweet. To match our summery days I wanted to make something a little lighter and this White Chocolate Mousse is the perfect fit. I've also added a little surprise at the bottom of each glass - poached cherries, the perfect companion to white chocolate.

Place the chocolate into a bowl and place over a pot of boiling water - stirring to ensure an even melting. Remove it from the heat once it's completely melted and smooth.

Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well to incorporate. Then beat in the softened butter. The mixture will stiffen and then relax to give a smooth and glossy consistency.

Whip the egg-whites until soft peaks form - add the icing sugar and continue whipping until incorporated.

Take a quarter of the egg-whites and stir into the chocolate mixture to slacken the mix. Then fold in the remaining egg-whites using a large spoon. Use a figure eight cutting motion to keep as much air in the mix.

Take your serving dishes and place 4 drained poached cherries into each - then cover completely with the mousse mixture. Smooth the mixture by just tapping the bottom of the dish against the table.

Cover and place in the fridge to set.

Take the mousse from the fridge about 15 minutes before you wish to serve them.

Tastewise, it's creamy and not overly sweet, a little like a good vanilla ice-cream, feather light in the mouth and when you dig a little, you find the hidden treasure of cherries.

Thanks Patricia - we must keep the flag flying for poor white chocolate! What works is having the cherries as a surprise, they just bring in an unexpected textural element and the white chocolate seems to lengthen their taste.